Larin’s exit doesn’t sit well with Orlando City

Orlando City’s all-time leading scorer in franchise history just found himself a new home overseas and the behind the scenes move hasn’t sat well whatsoever with management of the Lions. Orlando City CEO Alex Leitao and team management were taken by surprise when Turkish club Beşiktaş announced that they had signed Larin to a deal after clearing a medical with the team.

No deal was spoken of between Orlando City and Beşiktaş and the former threatened legal action against the overseas squad in response to the signing. In statements from Leitao in response to the Larin departure, the Orlando City CEO didn’t hold back with words about the forward’s abrupt exit.

“Although the Club was disappointed with the unacceptable behavior of the athlete and his representatives, a decision was taken to guarantee compensation with the Club’s future in mind,” Leitao said in a statement.

“The Club looks forward to focusing on the upcoming season with staff and players who honor and respect the strong values of the Club and commitment to our community to lead us through 2018 and beyond.”

Larin, who has scored 43 goals during his time in Orlando, was one of the few bright spots from what eventually became a disappointing 2017 season. Orlando City, whom held some high expectations for the Canadian product after trading for midfielder Dom Dwyer from Kansas City, had Larin paired up with the former USF product.

The 22-year-old Larin was selected first overall in the 2015 MLS Draft, brought his overall scoring mark with Orlando to 43 goals after finding the back of the 12 times in 2016. In teaming up with the likes of Dwyer and Kaka, who retired as a Lion after the 2017 campaign concluded, Larin was able to take advantage and produce some solid seasons with Orlando City.

About The Author

Andy Villamarzo has covered high school and youth sports for the Tampa Bay Times and The Tampa Tribune as a correspondent since 2008. He is a native of Holiday, FL, who graduated from Gulf High School and studied at St. Petersburg College. He has covered various prep, collegiate and professional athletes throughout his writing career, including Josh Johnson (Jacksonville Jaguars), Patrick Schuster (Arizona Diamondbacks) and currently writes for other publications like The Suncoast News, Friday Night Football Magazine and TopDrawerSoccer.com.